Robert J. Devlin Jr.

{{Short description|American judge (born 1950)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Robert J. Devlin Jr.

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| office = Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court

| term_start = May 15, 2019

| term_end = April 2020

| appointer = Ned Lamont

| predecessor = Michael Sheldon

| successor = Melanie L. Cradle

| office1 = Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court

| term_start1 = 1993

| term_end1 = 2019

| appointer1 = Lowell P. Weicker Jr.

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 =

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| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1950}}

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| education = Southern Connecticut State University (B.A.)
University of Connecticut (J.D.)

}}

Robert J. Devlin Jr. is a former Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court and former Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court.{{cite web |title=Honorable Alexandra Davis DiPentima - Biography |url=https://www.jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/appJudge_Devlin.htm |website=www.jud.ct.gov}} He was nominated to the Appellate court by Governor Ned Lamont and began his term on May 15, 2019. Devlin retired in April 2020, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Education

Devlin earned a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Connecticut State University and is an honors graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law.{{Cite web |last=Owens |first=David |title=Judge Robert Devlin nominated to Appellate Court |url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-robert-devlin-nominated-for-appellate-court-0426-20190425-nxmns2oclnemhoyw3f5s62ehea-story.html |website=courant.com|date=25 April 2019 }}{{Cite web |title=Robert J. Devlin, Jr. Judge Profile on Martindale.com |url=https://www.martindale.com/attorney/robert-j-devlin-jr-328883/ |access-date=2020-06-23 |website=www.martindale.com}}

Early career

Devlin began his career by working as a public defender and in private practice, then working for nine years as a prosecutor. From 1988–1992 he was an Assistant United States Attorney.

Superior Court service

He was nominated to the Superior Court in December 1992 by Lowell Weicker. As a superior court judge, Devlin presided over several notable criminal cases, including State v. Beth Carpenter, State v. Russell Peeler, and State v. Christopher DiMeo.

Appellate Court service

On April 25, 2019, Governor Ned Lamont nominated Devlin to the seat vacated by Michael Sheldon who had reached the mandatory retirement age.{{cite web |title=Lamont nominates Robert Devlin to Appellate Court |url=https://ctmirror.org/2019/04/25/lamont-nominates-robert-devlin-to-appellate-court/ |website=The CT Mirror |date=25 April 2019}}

Deputy Chief State's Attorney, Inspector General

In 2021 Devlin was appointed Deputy Chief State's Attorney, Inspector General, responsible for leading Connecticut's Office of Inspector General.{{cite web |title=Robert J. Devlin, Jr. Appointed Deputy Chief State's Attorney, Inspector General |url=https://portal.ct.gov/DCJ/Criminal-Justice-Commission/Criminal-Justice-Commission-News-Releases/News-Releases/Robert-Devlin-Appointed-Deputy-Chief-States-Attorney-Inspector-General |website=State of Connecticut |access-date=October 23, 2022 |date=September 27, 2021}} In March of 2024, he attempted to "race bait" a jury during the trial of Connecticut State Trooper Brian North, stating that the case was a "A white Police Officer who shot and killed a black man. This is a very, very, big deal". Race was never an argument in the case besides his closing argument to the jury.

References

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